Light-reactive cloud in my vision

[cyberdouglas]

Hi, I'm going to probably give too much info, but I want to be thorough.

My problem began with a stabbing pain in one spot of my right eye. I removed my contacts (I've worn contacts for approx. 19 years) and the pain went away hours later. The following day was the beginning of a month of dizziness (when I'd move my head), shooting pains in my head, pain behind my eyes and sensitivity to light. I went to my eye doctor and she found no cause for any of these problems (I was dilated, too). I went to my M.D. and eventually got an MRI which came back normal.

The dizziness, pain behind my eyes and shooting head pain eventually dissipated, but the sensitivity to light remained and I slowly became aware of the problem I've been living with for the last 3 months: I have a gel-like "cloud" crossing my field of vision when I move my eyes to a light source (window, lights in a store, etc.) which becomes unnoticeable after my eyes remain still and focused on the object. In an example of what happens: I sit at my computer at work with a window with blinds party open about 12 feet behind the screen. Sometimes my eyes catch the light from the outside and the "cloud" appears. My work computer at home has the window to the right and when my vision moves from the screen to something on my desk (or occasionally just when looking at the screen) the "cloud" will appear at the corner where the light is. This seems to happen when there's a medium (or more) amount of contrast. The cloud is attracted or activated by light and I also see halos around lights. This problem exists when I wear both my contacts and glasses. I've covered each eye and get the same results (with a slight variance) in both.

I'm wondering if the sensitivity to light and the gel-like "cloud" are tied together? I've had floaters (they have always been small and inconsequential), but this is something that moves in reaction to light when compared to floaters that just seem to float randomly.

I saw a second eye doctor (my eyes were dilated and he seemed to do a thorough examination) and he could find no reason for what I'm experiencing.

I'm in the visual arts and this has really started to weigh on me. This is so strange I'm wondering if it's the result of some type of infection? I appreciate any help offered.

Thanks.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

I can not help.  You have already seen two ophthalmologist and they find nothing wrong.

D.r O.

[Avenger1212]

I don' t want to distract you from the hunt for a "good" answer.

I'd just like to say that floaters can amass a thin yet condensed "shell" for lack of a better term, around them.  This, as is in my case, often causes blurs or distortions to follow the floater.  

I find it worse in lower light situations, especially when there is a bright light source in the room, like a TV or monitor.  Squint when watching TV and see if you can make the blur spot move like a floater.  Squinting will allow you to see the individual collagen strands that make up the blurry blob.  If it's isolated to the outside of your vision, that may be easier said then done.

So, I think you can use a white screen on a computer monitor too (like you mentioned) to do the test.  If you've had floaters before, you'll recognize the movement.  Otherwise, if it's not floaters but something else, I hope you figure it out and get relief soon!